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Tag Archives | Fast-Food-Nation

The goal of Food Inc. is to lift the veil on our nation’s food industry and expose the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA.

Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Though I do recommend seeing this film, I don’t recommend stopping by the popcorn counter first!

I’ve written about Threadless before, but with the stuff they’ve put out recently, it’s hard to ignore.

First, they’ve launched an entire site dedicated to Threadless Kids. There was an indication that they would do something like this when onesies were introduced, but now you can get a variety of their styles in both unisex tees and onesies to fit your growing child.

Second, they’ve introduced a shirt design that incorporates glow in the dark ink to add to the message. Called Mr. Toxic Waste, its nuclear reactors give off a healthy glow when the lights go out.

Lastly, they continue to pump out amazing designs. This one, called Fast Food Meal, is a collaboration with the movie Fast Food Nation, and features a decidedly dangerous meal with a subtly strong message.

Having read and loved the nationally bestselling book Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser, I can’t wait to see the film adaptation that hits theaters on November 17th. The book takes a hard-hitting look at the fast food industry and the control it wields over the American public. It chronicles the history and growth of one of America’s greatest institutions, including some pretty revealing biographies of the “founding fathers” of fast food, Carl Karcher and Ray Kroc. What really sets this book apart from the average political satire is the fact that Schlosser is not just propagandizing his views. He relates the growth of the fast food industry to the growth of our country, and shows that in a sense, the industry is just the ultimate result of America’s obsession with capitalism: owners growing profits at all costs. Fast Food Nation is also about the trickle down effects of the growth of fast food, including the poor conditions of the meat packing industry, the underpaid burger flipping staff, the marketing of fast food to children, and the general effect of fast food dollars on our fast food country. Though fictional, the movie takes heavy inspiration from the book, following the path of the burger, from the meatpacking plant to the underpaid food clerk to the corporate big wig to your mouth. It promises to be a revealing look at an often-overlooked aspect of our daily lives, and one that is sure to leave a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of fast food lovers everywhere. Do you want McLies with that?